This is Father’s Day. I would acknowledge all our fathers today. I would have father’s stand and we recognize you. The home is still the foundation of our society, and the role of mothers and fathers are God ordained roles that have tremendous significance and meaning. I am grateful to have had a good father, and I pray for grace continue to be a good father and grandfather now.
Speaking of these things. Much has been made in our time about father’s being absent or inconsistent in family life. Several years ago the Promise Keepers movement was an incredible resurgence on the role of men and father’s in home life and church and community life.
Several years ago Country Music artist Billy Cureton made popular a song entitled, Walk a Little Straighter Daddy. It was about a father who was not present due to problems with alcohol and did not show up at key times in his son’s life, not even graduation. My father never made my graduation, only because his health was so poor, he was not able to attend, and he died shortly after I graduated. But I am thankful that he was present to teach me valuable lessons and values, especially during my formative, growing up years. Yet I know that part of the health issues of my father was initiated by a life that was hard lived, both in his work as a coal miner and poor choices that would later negatively impact his health. He died at age 63. I mention this not just because it is Father’s Day, but because in many ways my father’s life reflects the contrasts that Paul speaks about in the scripture today regarding living in the flesh or living in the Spirit…
In this great chapter Paul is describing how we can live in the Spirt and experience freedom from the guilt and power of sin! It is a tremendous teaching about what is possible for us in our Christian lives! But in order to understand what Paul is teaching here I think it is important to go back to chapter 7 to give the fuller context of the instruction. So let’s go back one chapter and begin reading at chapter 7:15. I am using a paraphrase, The Living Bible, which put the text in more modern language. However, I think you will recall these words and identify with them. So, let’s pick up reading at 7:15,
15 I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can’t. I do what I don’t want to—what I hate. 16 I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking. 17 But I can’t help myself because I’m no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do these evil things. 18 I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn I can’t make myself do right. I want to but I can’t. 19 When I want to do good, I don’t; and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. 20 Now if I am doing what I don’t want to, it is plain where the trouble is: sin still has me in its evil grasp. 21 It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; 23-25 but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin. So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament I’m in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature?
Many identify with these statements as part of their Christian existence. But I am thankful that Paul’s statements do not end with this dilemma of such a conflicted person. Matter of fact he answers the question about who will deliver him…with these words… Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free.
And this is where Romans 8 begins…
Paul is saying we are in one of 2 positions:
Those who live by their fallen nature or what he calls the flesh
Or
Those who live by the Spirit
As believers, we are called to higher and victorious living. So often I find that Christians are living more like Romans 7 and in a state of inner conflict and struggle. But God has called us to higher living and victorious living and that is only possible through the Holy Spirit that now indwells every believer as we celebrated at Pentecost last Sunday. So let’s look at a few important things that Paul relays about living by the Spirit.
1. Living By the Spirit Gives Us Our Identity
We find our identity even in our name “Christian”. We are “in Christ” or better said, “Christ is in us”. This is one of Paul’s great expressions regarding those converted to Christ. Christ is in us…How? Through the Holy Spirit. The moment we confess Christ… we receive the Holy Spirit.
At Pentecost, Peter preached and told the people to repent and believe on Christ and be baptized and they would receive the Holy Spirit.
In our Methodist heritage, we turn to John Wesley’s famed Aldersgate experience wherein he penned how his heart was “strangely warmed” and the ultimate assurance that his sins were forgiven and that he was a child of God. This experience shaped his identity in Christ. But it also guided his steps forward to do incredible things for God in his life experiences. In his own words, to spread scriptural holiness and to reform the nation.
But as we bring this to our own experience, it may not be exactly the same, but the pattern is very similar for all of us. We believe and then we receive the Holy Spirit and then the Holy Spirt comes to fill or indwell every believer.
IVP Commentary: The Spirit is the best guarantee of Christian identity and the only sure guide for Christian behavior. The Spirit is the only source of power to love in a way that fulfills the whole law. Until we know who we are in Christ, or whose we are…we will never be able to live a fruitful and victorious Christian life.
2. Living by the Spirit prevents us from living by fleshly desires
A parallel passage in Galatian 5:16 reads, V16 If we live by the Spirit, we will not fulfill fleshly desires’
I want to emphasize here what Paul is indicating…IF we live by the Spirit we can win the battle over fleshly desires. I would simply say that a fleshly desire… is any desire that is opposed to or against God’s word or God’s known will. It is the fallen mindset that is set on having its own way. It is why Jesus said if you want to be my disciple you must DENY yourself…put away your own desires to follow me.
Paul’s use of a double negative in the Greek could be expressed in English by saying, “You will absolutely not gratify the desires of your sinful nature.” Some translations read “walking” in the Spirit.
Walking is excellent exercise, and walking demands active determination to follow the direction of the Spirit in the power of the Spirit. Those who follow the Spirit’s direction in the Spirit’s power will not carry out the evil intentions of their sinful nature.
Interestingly, in the OT the people of God were guided by a cloud. The cloud went before them and when the cloud settled, they settled. When the cloud moved, they moved. It was a very distinct and visible guidance system. It would be great if we had a cloud to guide us all the time. But here is the kicker…we have something better in the Holy Spirit. External guidance systems cannot place the desire or energy in you to follow them. But the Spirit energizes us, moves us to walk or act in a way that is pleasing to God.
3. Living by the Spirit does not remove the conflict of the flesh vs Spirit
Sadly, some do not win this conflict. The great prize fighter Max Schmeling was beaten, actually knocked out by Joe Lewis in one round in 1938. Vanderbilt beat Alabama last year, hate to bring back bad memories for some. But in just a couple months these competitions will be back again. So we are in a continual battle until we breath our last.
Paul is indicating here that if we try to please God and live a righteous life relying on our own ability, we will never be able to accomplish a victory in this conflict. The flesh will dominate the Spirit and we will end up doing the things we do not want to do. We cannot accomplish a victory on our own strength alone. The devil and the flesh are too powerful, and we will be overcome by their force. This is like being knocked out in the first round! In Luther’s great hymn he put it very well, “Did we in our own strength confide our stiving would be losing”.
Men set little value upon that which they have and covet what they have not, as the poet says:
“The things most forbidden we always desire AND things most denied we seek to acquire.”
There is the human tendency to desire what we do not have and want things that may be beyond our ability to afford. Why is it that the objects I cannot afford are the ones I covet to acquire? Clothes, jewelry, cars, houses, whatever it is… The path I know I should not take I find my feet moving in that direction. It is a battle we face every day!
This is the conflict of a thoroughly committed Christian who is choosing each day to “walk by the Spirit.” Each day the Christian who chooses to walk by the Spirit is engaged in a fierce battle between the Spirit and the sinful nature. It is important to stress this point, because many Christians feel ashamed to admit that they are experiencing such a conflict. They feel that mature Christians should somehow be above this kind of struggle. They imagine that the great saints were surely too spiritual to feel the desires of the flesh. But Paul flatly contradicts such images of super-spirituality. This battle continues in every phase of life.
And every period of life has its own peculiar temptations. Our fleshly desires will again and again incite us to impatience, anger, pride or lust.
Since I am a pastor, I can tell this story. Story of 3 pastors on a train confessing their faults to each other. One was putting more wine in the Communion Chalice so he could have extra wine to drink. One embellished his stories and was not always truthful in his statements for dramatic effect. The last one said, he struggled with gossip and could not wait to get off the train to tell others. We each have our own more specific battles with our fleshly desires.
David fell horribly into adultery. Peter also fell grievously when he denied Christ those 3 times. Paul struggled with legalism and rage against Christians. However great these sins were, they caved in to the weakness of their flesh. But here is the good news. When their sins were brought to their attention these men did not obstinately continue in their sin but repented.
The bible is very clear that no person is free from temptations. Some are tempted in one way, others in another way. One person is more easily tempted to bitterness and sorrow of spirit, blasphemy, distrust, and despair. Another is more easily tempted to carnal lust, anger, envy, covetousness. But no matter which sins we are disposed to, we are to walk in the Spirit and resist the flesh. One commentator put it like this:
The promise of our text is not that we shall not feel, but that we shall not fulfil the desires of the flesh.
4. Living By the Spirit Brings Life
Look again at verse 11: And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
How did Jesus get out of the tomb? How was Jesus raised to life? It was the Holy Spirit who brought him back to life. And here is the amazing thing. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will bring life to us.
When we were born, we breathed a breath of life. We took our first breath. In Genesis when Adam was created God breathed into him the breath of life. Without that breath of God, Adam would not have life. When we stop breathing, we will die. The breath of life leaves us and that can happen for many reasons as we know.
We had the graveside service for Paul Mattes on Friday. We spoke the words that are common to all of us… We commit our loved ones to their final earthly resting place…ashes to ashes…dust to dust… But their spirit will commit to God! And we anticipate the day when our mortal bodies will be raised to new life! But friends that new life starts with the indwelling Holy Spirit in us now!
In John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again, born from above…born of the Spirit or he would not see or enter the kingdom of God. There is no other option if we want to have life. Of course, Nicodemus was confused thinking he had to enter into his mother’s womb again to be reborn. And then Jesus said something profound…That which is of the flesh is flesh…that which is of the Spirit is spirit. Jesus was essentially telling Nicodemus; you cannot comprehend or understand spiritual things unless the Spirit opens your eyes. And you cannot have life, eternal life, unless the Spirit of Life is in you.
The closing hymn is simply an invitation…Have Thine Own Way Lord. One of the lines simply says, Have thine own way Lord. Have thine own way. Hold o’er my being absolute sway. Fill with thy Spirit til all shall see Christ only always living in me.
It is the Spirit that can move us out of Romans 7 into Romans 8.
It is the Spirit that will give us victory over our base desires
It is the Spirit that will ultimately raise us to new life that is eternal!
It is the Sprit that will cause all our Daddy’s to walk a little straighter!